The future isn't etched in stone. But it's not hard to predict either. When you open your eyes to the wide world around you, things you thought were "impossible" suddenly aren't. Yeah, it's that simple."And, when you want something, all the Universe conspires to help you achieve it." Paulo Coelho's THE ALCHEMIST is a veritable fountain of meaningful quotes. But the one above is my favorite. Because it's totally true. Even psychology studies suggest that when we visualize what we want, things seem to magically fall into place. Except, it's not magic. It's a body moving forward. An implied inertia inevitably follows.The best part of imagining the yet unwritten future is believing that you still have a chance to make happen what has perhaps eluded you in the past. Today, I walked around all day doing just that, and my smile couldn't have been any bigger. My sense of joy, larger than I've felt in years. The bottom line: It's never too late to accomplish your dreams. As long as you survive your humanity, you will see a day when the thing you want most will finally find you. And when it does, don't hesitate.We often feel unworthy of the wonders the world sends our way, putting up roadblocks to sabotage our potential happiness. Because eventually, the future becomes the now. And it can be a little intimidating to accept an invitation outside of your comfort zone. But Coelho has an answer for this, too:"Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure."Your future gains are guaranteed if you follow your heart. Maybe your treasure is love, or having a child, or getting that dream job...or all three! Whatever it might be, go for it. Life is about living. If you wait for everything to be perfect, you're just waiting to die. But death finds you soon enough. The whole point of life, however, is living.So what are you waiting for??? Go get it! The future is now....

The one thing I will add to this is that when you follow your heart, you need to open your eyes wide and listen carefully to what the world is telling you. Our society is so safe that we forget risk is not a hoop one jumps through to get what we want. Risk is the reality that we don't know what the consequences of our actions will be, and that we are still responsible for them. We so often hide from our realities and observations, and those are actually the only things we can truly count on when our hearts take us off the map.

Action without hesitation is commendable. Action without awareness? That's commonly dangerous, and dangerously common! Notice everything, and assume nothing. This is the key to success on any frontier!

If only I had read your comment more carefully 2.5 years ago. You were 100% correct. My heart took me off the map, and, even though I was self-aware, even though I observed (and recorded) red flags, I still find myself paying for the consequences of another's decisions today. Because, it was simply unimaginable to me that anyone would willfully betray not only a person they loved, but themselves. Which is exactly what you warned about...the consequences that go along with the risk, and, paying for them. Literally in my case.

You speak with the voice of the Universe, my friend. I'm grateful every day for your continued support and friendship.

I am much better at noticing the signs. My heart, mind, soul, and body are much more in sync these days. But it is only because I went off the map and risked the consequences I now pay for with cold, hard cash. And, I'm starting to believe that kind of reparation to my person is priceless, even though it still hurts to pay the debt another created under my name.

Though my heart seems to have found its treasure, unlike last time, I won't throw myself into it. There has to be dual accountability. If there isn't, even though I hope not to die before this all unravels, the ultimate result will be more pain for me.

We can each only do so much as human beings. If we do more than we should, we're inevitably taken for granted. Entitlement replaces earnings. And then, gratitude is replaced with attitude.

I may never receive the love I desire from another. But I know now I can give it to myself. Unconditionally. From there, anything can happen. And that self-love will not only be my guide, but my shield as well.

Sending you #PositiveEnergy, always...

*Written on 9.5.16 11:55am

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Johnna K

11/17/2017 08:22:25 pm

Your smarter and prettier, but you'll never have what you want. I have it instead.

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About the Author

Rebecca Housel, Ph.D., known as "The Pop Culture Professor" (TM), is an international best-selling author and editor in nine languages and 100 countries. Rebecca, listed in the Directory of American Poets & Writers for her work in nonfiction, was nominated by Prevention magazine essayist and best-selling author of The ImmortalLife of HenriettaLacks, Rebecca Skloot, to the National Association of Science Writers for her work on cancer. Rebecca has published with best-selling author of The Accidental Buddhist, Dinty Moore's literary nonfiction journal, Brevity, and with commercial publications like Redbook magazine and online journals like In Media Res. Her recent interviews appear in publications such as the LA Times, Esquire, USA TODAY, The Huffington Post, Inside HigherEd, Woman's World magazine, and Marie Claire as well as on FOX news, and NBC. Former President of the New York College English Association, Housel was a professor in both Atlanta and New York, teaching popular culture, film, creative writing, literature, and medical humanities. Dr. Housel currently works on the Editorial Advisory Boards for the Journal of PopularCulture and the Journal ofAmerican Culture; she has also worked as a reviewer for Syracuse University Press and Thomson Wadsworth. A writer of all genres, Housel has written and published both fiction and nonfiction in over ten books and 398 articles, essays, book chapters, book reviews, and encyclopedia entries.